Minhey Chung, PhD

Hi, I'm Minhey ("MIN-hay")! I'm an Assistant Professor in the Department of Integrated Strategic Communication at the University of Kentucky. I earned my BA and MA in Media and Communication from Korea University, and my PhD in Communication from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 

My research centers on persuasion and new media in the context of health. One line of my research focuses on understanding barriers to and resistance against persuasive health communication (e.g., public health campaigns, digital health advertising) and how communication strategies can help overcome them. Another examines how persuasive health messages can produce unintended and potentially adverse effects on health perceptions and behaviors. By examining both the challenges to effective persuasion and its potential unintended consequences, I seek to develop health communication strategies that achieve their intended goals while minimizing adverse effects. I study a range of health topics, with a particular interest in body image (e.g., weight loss medications, eating disorders). 

My work has been published in peer-reviewed outlets such as the Journal of Advertising, Journal of Health Communication, and Motivation Science. For a review of my work, opportunities for collaboration, or other inquiries, please email me at mchung18@illinois.edu.